At Least 274 American Soldiers’ Remains Tossed Into Virginia Landfill Like Garbage The horrible revelations that the Air Force mortuary at Dover Air Force Base grossly mishandled America’s returning war dead and then tossed several soldiers’ cremated remains into a Virginia landfill was difficult news to stomach. Both incidents could certainly be chalked up to “gross mismanagement” if one were trying to positively spin the stories. The more blunt way to put it is that the honor of America’s fallen combat troops was severely disrespected by the large bureaucracy sending them to war. Officials at Dover Air Force Base never released the number of soldiers’ remains tossed aside like they didn’t matter. But due to pressure from Congress and Washington Post reporters, officials have revealed that they dumped the partial, cremated remains of at least 274 American soldiers into a Virginia landfill. 274. Let that number sink in for a moment. Worse, there are no plans, they said, to alert those families now. So how bad is it? Pretty bad, actually. This, from the Washington Post‘s excellent reporting: It showed that 976 fragments from 274 military personnel were cremated, incinerated and taken to the landfill between 2004 and 2008. An additional group of 1,762 unidentified remains were collected from the battlefield and disposed of in the same manner, the Air Force said. Those fragments could not undergo DNA testing because they had been badly burned or damaged in explosions. The total number of incinerated fragments dumped in the landfill exceeded 2,700. The first official record of the practice came in 2004, but the electronic database only goes back to 2003. Also, it’s worth mentioning, a widow of an Army sergeant killed in Iraq says that she was told by a mortuary official that remains had been taken to landfills since at least 1996. The landfill dumping practice was ended in 2008. Now, any unclaimed and unidentified remains of soldiers are cremated with the ashes buried at sea. The landfill disposals were never formally authorized under military policies, nor were the practices disclosed to senior Pentagon officials. The report demonstrates a consistent pattern of disregard for many soldiers killed in action. Stolen valor refers to something else entirely, but there’s no other appropriate phrase that works. (Flag-draped coffin photo via Bigstock)
Cobra 04.01.12 @ 4:45 pm I find this very shocking and upsetting as I live in Virginia and my family owns a trash company !!! human remains is not on the list of acceptible waiste and breaks the states landfill code in my eyes ! the county or city landfill officals should be fired and imprisoned for these actions ! on the sign it says what is accepted and what is not !!! this should have brought a huge naitionl responce ! if this was done by a priviate trash company they’re license would be pulled and prosicuted if it were I I’d sue the city or county and dumpers for dissposing of humans or human waiste it breaks code ! we couldn’t get away with dumping tires but they get away with this ? this is what splits America and makes many loose it’s faith in what we stand for ! The land field should be closed ! and full action of the law taken into play ! could you imagine going to the landfil and seeing that ! ashes or not schools take trips to landfields to learn I’m sure no parents whould want they’re children roaming around sour ground ! Or now may I say holy ! At least in my eyes this really got to me it’s a shame I haven’t seen a huge public out cry over this ! how many more landfields have they’re been ? this would hurt private trash collectors like my family if it happend where I’m from . cause if your in a small place in the country and another landfield is 40 miles away gas prices are not cheap for those trucks I know how it works and opperates Inside and out not trying to sound selfish in any way but that affects alot of people the workers at the landfield the dumpers the community ! did the workers at the landfield know ? If so they’re goes any penson and surly imprisonment for illeagly doing so ! that’s how I feel about this sorry for any misspelling . thank you for your story if my dad was to read about this I’m sure he’d be right behiend you with the rest of us ! thank you . Jack Bennett . Roanoke va .